Brother & Sister
by QTR
Summary: In the worst of times, he was there to protect his little sister. In the best of times, he was there to see her smile.
1. Protector

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters!**

**A/N: This story has to do with Sara and her brother's relationship, just thought I'd explore it a little bit. But of course, this is only my interpretation. I wrote this because I really wanted to write what I thought her brother may have been like, and since I didn't go back that early into Sara's life in The Life & Times of Sara Sidle, I decided to post this. I hope you enjoy it :)**

"Sara!" he called, running around the tree in the backyard looking around for his sister, throwing a long strand of brown hair out of his dark brown eyes. "Sara, where'd you go?" He looked around the corner of the house when he heard crying. The small form of his little sister was behind the house shaking back and forth with tears running down her cheeks as both of her tiny hands were held over her knee cap, her small dress pulled up over the cut.

"D-D-Daniel!" she cried, looking up at him with puffy eyes. "I-I-I fell!"

Daniel set his toy down on the ground and ran over to her, kneeling down beside her. "Hang on, let me see," he told her, moving her hands away from the cut on her knee. He smiled. "Don't worry, it's not that bad," he told her. "I'll be right back," he said, getting up and running off.

His little sister watched him run off, her bottom lip trembling as she held her knee. He came back with a box of bandaids and kneeled back down in front of her. "Look, Mom got the bandaids you like," he said with a smile, holding the box up. The bandaids were covered in little designs featuring different cartoon characters, the cartoon characters Sara knew from watching TV with Daniel on Saturday mornings. This got him a small smile from his little sister as he peeled the backs off of one of the bandaids and put it on her knee after wiping the dirt off.

"There," he said with a smile, putting a hand over her knee. He smiled and wiped the tears away from her face with his fingers. "Come on now, don't cry, it's okay," he told her. "Come on- let's go inside and eat some of the cookies Mom made," he told her, getting to his feet and helping his sister up. She nodded slowly and clung to his arm, squeezing it tightly as they walked inside. He led her inside and they walked through the back door, walking into the kitchen.

"When's Daddy coming home?" Sara asked quietly.

"I don't know," Daniel said. "Mom said he was going to be late tonight.."

"Daddy works really hard," Sara said with a smile.

Daniel smiled back at her. "I know he does," he told her. He reached under her neck and tickled her. She let out a squeaky giggle. "And so do you. Mom told me you're getting the best grades in your class at school," he said with a smile.

Sara giggled, looking up at her brother. "Yup!" she said. "My teacher gave me a sticker, too!"

"That's really cool!" he told her with a big smile. He let go of her hand for a minute. "Hang on, I'm going to get the cookies," he whispered. Sara nodded as he reached up onto the counter which she couldn't quite reach yet and pulled two cookies off of a cookie sheet, handing her one. "Careful, it's hot," he told her.

Sara nodded and watched as her brother blew on his cookie. She did the same, and watched as he took a big bite. She mimicked him and took just as big a bite, but got strangled.

"Sara!" Daniel said, running over to her and patting her on the back. She coughed softly as he patted her on the back and then looked up at him. "There. Next time don't take such big bites," he told her with a smile.

"But you did," she said pouting.

Daniel laughed. "But that's because I'm bigger than you. You have a tiny mouth!" he told her. "Come on, let's go play," he told her, grabbing her hand again and leading her out of the kitchen and into the hallway. They poked their heads in the living room and saw their mother sitting on a recliner, holding a bottle in her hand. She was slumped back in the chair, all but laying on it and her body racked with quiet sobs.

"Come on," Daniel told her, not wanting his little sister to see her mother crying. He walked down the hallway with her and led her to her room and closed the door.

"Why is Mommy crying?" Sara asked with a frown.

"It's nothing Sara," Daniel said. "Don't worry about it." He noticed his baby sister looking up at him with tear-stained eyes. "Aw, come here," he told her, holding his arms out to her. She ran to him and buried herself in a hug. "Shh...it's okay, Mom's just sad is all.."

"Why?" Sara asked.

"Because she misses Dad," he told her.

"I miss Daddy too," she said, looking up at him.

"I do too.." Daniel said. He looked down at the floor. "We all do," he told her.

"Then why is he gone all the time?" Sara asked, looking up at him. "Doesn't he love us?" she whispered. "Was I being a bad girl? Is that why he left? Did he think I wasn't being good? Mommy said I was being a good girl..my teacher always says I'm being good.."

"It's not that, Sara," Daniel whispered. "I don't know what it is. But you know Dad loves us. He loves you, me, and Mom." Sara just nodded slowly, squeezing him tightly in a hug. Daniel smiled. "You look sleepy," he told her. "Why don't you take a nap and when you wake up Daddy might be here," he whispered.

Sara nodded slowly. "I want to see Daddy."

"I know you do. Just take a small nap and Daddy might be here when you wake up," he said with a smile.

"Will you take the nap with me?" she asked.

He smiled. "If you want me to."

She nodded and pulled him onto her bed. He layed down first and she layed down against him, closing her eyes. "Do you have Mr. Snucckums?" Daniel asked, referring to her teddy bear. She nodded slowly, holding the teddy bear up tightly against her chest. "Good," he whispered. "Close your eyes and take a nap and Daddy might be here when you wake up."

"When we wake up," she whispered.

He smiled. "When we wake up," he repeated, laying his head down on the pillow and closing his eyes.

Little Sara and Daniel fell asleep in hopes of seeing their Daddy walk through the door when they woke up. Both of them weren't exactly sure why their Daddy wasn't coming home these past nights. Their mother just sat by the front door day after day, occasionally moving and fixing something to eat for her and the kids. When she finished making a meal, she walked back over to the chair in front of the door and collapsed, grabbing the bottle with the unknown substance inside of it that seemed to seperate their mother from the rest of the world.

Daniel had seen his mother and father arguing before he left three nights ago. They yelled at each other in their bedroom, Daniel had cracked his head inside to see what was going on. His mother said something before the sound of the back of his hand connecting with her cheek filled the room. He stormed out of the room and walked into the living room, throwing the front door open and slamming it shut behind him. Daniel watched as his mother collapsed on the bed in their room crying.

Daniel and Sara both woke up about three hours later after their little nap to the sound of the front door being thrown open. Sara rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she got up out of her bed, holding tightly onto Mr. Snucckums. Daniel got to his feet and grabbed his little sister's hand, leading her to the door of her room and they slowly walked down the doorway, poking their heads around the wall of the living room to see what was going on.

In walked their father. He looked absolutely furious. The two children had never seen their father so angry before and they watched as he stormed in through the door and looked down at his wife. Sara wrinkled her nose as a sour smell- a smell she knew- filled her nostrils. Her father reeked of it.

"Laura! Get up!" he yelled. The two watched as their mother slowly got to her feet, swaying a bit as she tried to sit up straight.

"It's about time you got home," she hissed. "Where the hell were you?"

"None of your damn business," he said. "I see you've been keeping up with the house," he said, looking around the house at the newspapers on the floor and the discarded liquor bottles lying about.

"I would keep up with it if my charming husband came home every once and a while. Instead you go out and get fired. Again. This makes the third time, John! What'd they fire you for this time, John? Don't tell me you came to work drunk, too!"

"Shut up," he yelled, walking into the kitchen.

"We're out of beer!" she yelled.

"Because you drank it all!" he shouted, looking back over at her.

Sara, trembling slightly, walked out from her and her brother's safe hiding place and walked up to her father. Holding Mr. Snucckums in her arms, she looked up at him. "D-Daddy?" she asked.

"What the hell do you want?" he yelled, looking down at her.

Her bottom lip started trembling and the tears formed in her eyes. Daniel could tell she was about to cry.

"What the hell are you crying for? " he yelled.

Sara just stared at him, the tears running down her cheeks as small whimpers started to escape her lips.

"Get out of here, you little bitch!" he yelled, his large fingers wrapping around her tiny arms and shoving her backwards. She let out a small scream as she hit the floor, looking up at him with tear-stained eyes. Daniel ran to her side, kneeling down beside her and helping her up. Her entire body was shaking violently as she watched her father glare down at them.

"Dad!" Daniel yelled. "You hurt Sara!"

"I'm going to whip your ass if you don't get out of my sight right now!" he yelled.

Daniel, out of fear of his father's wrath, slowly moved back down the hall with his little sister. She was crying hard as he led her to her room and quickly closed the door.

"Daddy hurt me," she whispered, the tears running down her cheeks.

"Sara, he didn't mean it," Daniel whispered.

"Then why would he hurt me?" Sara asked. "I was a bad girl, wasn't I?"

"No, Sara," Daniel whispered. "You were a good girl, you've always been a good girl. Daddy's just...he's not himself, Sara."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Daniel thought for a minute. "You know when you get angry?"

Sara nodded. "Yes.."

"Daddy's angry, but...you see...that stuff in the brown bottles he and Mom drink?" Sara nodded. "That's bad, Sara...it turns you into someone you're not...it's what's making Dad so angry.."

"But he hurt me," she whispered, looking up at him.

"I know Sara," Daniel whispered. "He didn't mean it, though...he loves you. You're a very good girl," he told her. He took her into a gentle embrace, Mr. Snucckums and all, and wiped the tears away from her face once again. "Thata girl," he said with a smile. Sara had quickly fallen asleep. Daniel was glad that their father had left the house so that his little sister could get some sleep. He slowly lifted her onto her bed and draped a blanket over her. He didn't want to admit to his little sister that he had seen their father hit their mother from time-to-time.

"Goodnight Sara," Daniel whispered, walking out of the room to his bedroom. He walked through the doorway and collapsed on his twin-bed, sighing deeply as he wrapped the blankets around him and closed his eyes.


	2. School Days

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! **

Daniel woke up that morning when he felt a light tugging on his shirt sleeve. He cracked an eye open and rolled over only to discover his little sister pulling on his shirt sleeve. He smiled at her as he squinted at the sunlight coming in through his windows. "What is it, Sara?" he asked, looking down at his little sister who held Mr. Snucckums tightly in her arms.

"Mommy's not awake yet and we have to go to school," she whispered. Daniel couldn't help but smile- his little sister always got up every morning on her own to get ready for school. Their mother usually fixed their lunches as they got ready so when they finished they could grab their lunches and leave, but today their mother was not awake yet. Daniel suspected that she was still laying in the lounge chair near the front door.

"Okay," he whispered. "I guess we'll just have to have school lunches today," he told her. He watched as his sister's little face crinkled in a frown.

"Those are gross," she whispered.

"I know," he said. "But we're going to have to eat them today, okay?"

Sara sighed, looking down at the floor. "Okay..."

"Okay," he said. "Go ahead and get dressed and we can go to school after we finish getting ready." Sara nodded and walked out of his room holding Mr. Snucckums. She walked down the hallway and closed the door to her room softly. Daniel waited until she got into her room to get dressed himself. Walking over to his dresser, he smoothed out his hair with one hand as another opened the drawer. He pulled out a pair of jeans and t-shirt and threw them on his bed as he started his hunt for matching socks.

Sighing, he pulled out a blue sock and a red sock. They would have to do. He walked over to his bed and sat down, lifting his leg up and slipping one of the socks on his foot. He put his other sock on and threw the shirt he slept in the night before off and put on the wrinkled but clean yellow shirt. He pulled it over his head and smoothed out the edges as best he could. When he was about to put his jeans on, he looked up to see his little sister standing in the doorway of his bedroom, her bottom lip quivering.

"What is it, Sara?" he asked quietly. He watched as she walked over to him slowly, holding Mr. Snucckums. She lifted her shirt sleeve and showed him her arm. The black bruises from the night before made by their father had appeared over the night. They were in perfect rings on her arms just below her shoulders, and she looked up at him with tear-stained eyes. "Hey.." he told her. "It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay."

"Why did he do it?" she whispered.

"Sara...I told you last night," he said quietly, lifting her onto his lap. "He didn't mean it, he wasn't himself. Sara just looked up at him as a tear ran down her cheek. He quickly wiped it away. "Go finish getting ready," he told her. "...Put on a long-sleeved shirt." She nodded slowly and got out of his lap, walking back to her room. She closed the door and he could hear her rummaging through her drawers again. Daniel sighed- he felt terrible that his father had done that to his little sister, but...he couldn't let anyone at school see...it would raise too many questions.

He quickly put on a clean pair of jeans and looked around for his sneakers. Finding them near the door, he grabbed them and sat on the floor, tying them onto his feet. Just as he was tying the first sneaker, his sister's door opened and she walked out. Her hair was brushed and she was dressed, shoes and all. She stopped in his doorway and he smiled up at her. "I don't know how you do it, Sis," he said. "But you always get ready before me." Sara smiled a little as she watched him tie his sneakers and then get up off the floor, grabbing his backpack. "Ready?" he asked. Sara nodded, holding up her backpack and they walked down the hallway into the living room.

They both paused when they saw their mother. She was now lying on the floor on her back, she looked like a beached whale. The bottle from the night before was now empty and lying on the floor next to her. She was sound asleep and didn't stir even as they walked near her to get to the door.

"Is Mommy okay?" Sara asked.

Daniel nodded slowly. "She's okay, Sara, let's go," he told her, taking her hand and leading her out the door. He slowly closed the door behind them and they walked down the two steps onto the walkway of their house. They turned and cut across the grass to their right and walked onto the sidewalk. Daniel held onto Sara's hand tightly as they walked down the sidewalk on their way to school.

Daniel looked down both sides of the street and they crossed it when he saw that both sides were clear of any cars. They walked onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street and continued walking. "Stay next to me," Daniel told her. "Don't go out in the road."

"I know," Sara said. "You tell me all the time."

Daniel smiled. "It's just because I worry about you."

Sara smiled up at him. "I know!"

Daniel smiled, squeezing her hand tightly as they rounded a corner. Soon, their school was in sight and they once again walked across the street once the coast was clear. Sara clung to Daniel's arm now, squeezing it as tightly as her little muscles could. She liked school, but she didn't like the other kids. They scared her. Daniel didn't really know why, he had good friends, but his little sister didn't have friends and she didn't like being around a large group of other kids. It seemed as though the only other kid she could trust was her own brother.

"Sara, I have to go to class now," he told her as they passed a group of girls who were playing jump-rope. Daniel pointed to them. "Why don't you go join them? They look like they're having a good time."

Sara just looked up at him, nodding slowly as she gradually let go of his arm. He felt her grip loosening until she finally had both of her arms wrapped around herself, looking down at her feet. Daniel kneeled down in front of her, putting both hands on her shoulders. "Hey.." he said quietly. "I'll see you later, okay?" he asked. Sara just nodded and walked off, still looking down at the ground. Daniel sighed, walking off to his classroom and turned back around to the group of girls playing jump-rope. Sara wasn't there, and when he turned his head to the right he saw her sitting on a bench all alone. He sighed, turning back to where his classroom was.

He cared about his little sister, that was for sure, but he knew that he couldn't be with her all the time, especially at school. But he knew how hard it was for her at school- the academics were no problem, but she hated having to play sports. Also, she got picked on a lot by the other kids- maybe that's why she was scared of the other students, Daniel thought. The other kids didn't seem to like Sara, but that only confused Daniel because he couldn't see who wouldn't like his little sister.

"Sidle!" Daniel blinked when he heard the familiar voice of his best friend. He turned around and saw him running up to him. "Hey!" the boy yelled, running to his side. He had black hair and baby blue eyes. He was only a little shorter than Daniel, and maybe only weighed a few more pounds. "How goes it?"

Daniel shrugged. "Okay, I guess..."

"You don't look like everything's okay," he said. "What's going on?"

Daniel sighed. "I'm just a little worried about Sara.."

"Your sister?" he asked. "Eh, don't worry too much about the little one, I'm sure she'll be okay."

"Gee, thanks Bobby.." Daniel muttered.

"No problem, pal!" Bobbby said, patting him on the back. "Now let's get to class before the old lady gets mad," he said, running ahead of him to their classroom. Sighing deeply, Daniel followed behind him and opened the door, walking inside. Daniel took a seat at his desk and lowered his head, getting ready to start the school day.

When Sara and Daniel got home that day, they both walked through the door only to discover their mother still out cold on the floor. Daniel closed the door behind them and them kneeled down beside her, nudging her gently. "Mom..." he said. She didn't budge, so he nudged her harder. "Mom," he said louder. Nothing. He sighed, finally giving up and walking into the kitchen with Sara.

"Is Daddy coming home tonight?" Sara asked quietly.

Daniel sighed. "I don't know Sara, I just don't know." He looked down at his sister who was now once again looking down at her feet. "Go ahead and go to your room and finish up your homework," he told her. She just nodded and walked off to her room to finish the little homework she had left. Daniel sighed, opening the refridgerator and taking out the carton of orange juice. He poured himself a glass and quickly gulped it down before walking down the hallway to his own room, closing the door and collapsing on his bed, wondering if their father really was going to come home that night.


	3. It's Just a Little Dirt

**A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews! I'm going to skip ahead about three years!**

_**Three years later...**_

Little Sara had been quite confused lately. Her big brother was such a different person than he used to be. Three years passed and now he was 15, her still being in the one-digits at 9. Her brother had been gone from home more and more lately. He didn't come home until late and he wasn't listening to his mother or father anymore. Sara heard her mother talking about him just going through a 'rebellious' stage at this point in his life, but Sara sensed something more.

He had been acting so strange...hiding out in his room, bringing strange things home in his backpack. Sara had noticed it the other day...she walked into his room and the second she stepped inside her brother had shoved her out of the room, yelling at her and slamming his door in her face.

What happened to the kind, loving, caring Danny from before? Did he just disappear? Evaporate like water on a sidewalk with the sun beating down on it? Or did he just get up in the middle of the night and run off? Or did he just fly out the window one day?

To Sara it sure seemed like it. Her brother was no longer himself, he was a totally different person. A person Sara did not know, and it was scaring her. What had happened to her big brother? This person was a complete stranger to her, it was like having someone she had never met before just waltz into her house and say, "Okay! I'm living with you!"

So little Sara walked through the halls of her home to try and get some answers. Heading to her brother's room, she found herself shaking a little as she reached for the doorknob. Why was she scared? Was it because she was afraid of what she might find behind the door? Or was it because she was afraid of what he might do...would he...lose it and hit her like her father had on many occasions?

She slowly turned the doorknob and poked her head inside. On the floor in front of her sat Daniel. Sara shut her eyes a bit as there appeared to be smoke in the room that was making her squint. "Danny?" she asked quietly.

He quickly turned around, looking at her and covering his mouth with his hand. "Dammit!" he cursed. He opened his window and threw whatever it was he had in his mouth out the window. "Dammit Sara! I told you to never come into my room!"

"Danny.." Sara whispered. "I'm sorry, but...I..just wanted to..." Now she had to think of something to say as an excuse. He was clearly pissed and she didn't think he was going to take it very well if she came in there now and demanded some answers.

"What?" he asked, sighing in exasperation.

"I...wanted...to know if..you could play with me..?" she asked. That even sounded like a pathetic excuse to her, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. She watched as he rolled his eyes, folding his arms over one another and walking toward her.

"Fine.." he muttered. "But if I play with you then will you leave me alone?" he asked. Sara just nodded. "Okay.." he said. "We'll play hide-and-seek. I'll go count, you find some place to hide, alright?" he asked.

Sara nodded. "Okay.."

"Okay..." he said again. "Go hide.." he said, walking out of the room with another sigh. Sara nodded again and waited until he disappeared around the corner of the hallway to make a move. She ran into his room. This was the only time she was going to have uninterrupted in her brother's room to try and discover what it was that was making him act so differently.

"Three..." she could hear her brother saying from the living room. She slid under his bed and looked around- there were a few old sneakers, some socks and a dirty shirt underneath. Looking around again, she found an old baseball and a few pencils. This was nothing, her search was coming up empty. And then she saw something that sparked her interest. It was a big black bag...she didn't know what was in it, but it was like a gift box at Christmas time just waiting to be opened.

She slowly unzipped the bag to find out what was inside. After unzipping it, the smell of the contents of the bag hit her like a ton of bricks. She grimaced, covering her nose with the hem of her shirt and pulled the bag out from underneath his bed. She rolled out from under his bed next and dug into the bag, trying to find out what was inside and what it was that was making that horrid smell.

She pulled something out of the bag. It looked like just a regular cigarette at first...she had seen enough of those in her lifetime from her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and from people just on the street to be able to tell what it was. But then, she noticed something...it looked as though it had been sloppily rolled together. And it looked a lot bigger than any cigarette she had ever seen. Regular cigarettes were thinner than this. This was not a normal cigarette.

And then there was more. It looked like dirt, but the smell was overwhelming. It still smelt like the thing she held in her hand, but now it just looked like a bunch of dirt underneath it. What was Danny doing with a bag of dirt under his bed?

Sara pulled the bag out from underneath his bed and walked down the hallway. In the living room, Daniel was still counting with his back turned to the television set. She headed into the kitchen dragging the bag along with her and looked up at her mother, who was busy working on fixing dinner. "Mom," Sara told her, tugging on her apron.

"What is it, Sara?" she asked, looking down at her daughter.

"I found dirt in this bag under Daniel's bed," she told her, pointing down to the bag on the floor.

"What? Dirt?" her mother asked. She knelt down beside Sara and lifted the bag into her lap. When the smell hit her she knew instantly what it was. "Oh dear lord.." she whispered. "Sara, where did you say you found this?"

"Under Danny's bed. We're playing hide-and-seek," Sara told her, completely oblivious to what was actually in the back. She was still pretty convinced it was just dirt.

"DANIEL LEROY SIDLE!" her mother yelled. Sara jumped at the loud and fierce tone to her mother's voice, it was frightening in itself. Why didn't she use that tone with their father?

"What?" Daniel asked, walking into the kitchen. "What's going--" And then he saw the black bag. The bag that he was trying to hide from his family. The bag that would ultimately seal his fate once if his father found out about it.

"How could you bring this into our home?" her mother yelled. "Look at your sister- she's covered in it!"

"Mom.." Sara said. "It's okay...it's just a little dirt.."

"Mom, I can explain.." Daniel said slowly.

"Get in your room! Now! I'm grounding you for a year, you're damn lucky your father didn't see this!"

Daniel just rolled his eyes, stomping off to his bedroom and slamming the door behind him. Their mother grabbed Sara by her arm, dragging her down the hallway. "Mom, what are you doing?" she asked her.

"You're covered in that filthy trash!" she said, heading toward the bathroom to clean her up.

"Mom...it's just a little dirt.." Sara kept saying. Why wasn't her mother listening to her?

It was just a little dirt, after all.


	4. Tears

**A/N: Here's a new chapter guys! Thank you to all who reviewed!**

Little Sara Sidle was still confused. Why was her mother so angry when she found the dirt under Daniel's bed? Was she just mad because it might've made a mess? No, she didn't think so...because it was easy to clean up...she used to track mud in with her brother all the time from playing outside on rainy days. That wasn't the case, so...what was it?

Her mother had grounded Daniel for a year. Daniel and Sara had never been grounded before in their lives. Not once. And for one full year, Daniel was forbidden to go out with his friends, use the phone, or get any money for doing odd jobs for people around the neighborhood. Her mother had really been angry...and Sara couldn't help but feel that it was her fault. If she had just kept her nose out of her brother's business, maybe that wouldn't have happened, and...maybe her brother would still care about her. Ever since her mother grounded him, he grew angry and cold. He shoved her into the wall in the hallway as she was on her way to the bathroom to take a shower or brush her hair, just little things like that. And they had such a big effect on her.

Currently, Sara was sitting at school on a small wooden bench with a book in her hands. Poking her head up from it every now and then, she watched her brother's movements. He was running around with his friends with a football in his hand, all smiles and laughs as one of them tackled each other. She was happy to see her brother happy...but she still wanted him to be the big brother he used to be.

He no longer protected her from their father. The other night their father had come home late at night, drunk, again. She had unfortunately been in the kitchen when the whole ordeal took place, she didn't mean to be in the same area her father was when he came home, she knew what was most likely to happen, and she didn't feel like getting another beating, those of which that ranged from minor to major, to a possible hospital visit. Her father had come through the door, shoving their mother out of the way as he headed to the kitchen. Sara had been pouring herself a glass of apple juice when he ran to the fridge, opening it up in search for a beer. Sara knew there were no more, and that was only going to spell trouble.

Somehow, he had gotten the crazy idea that she had drinken the beer, and came at her. She tried to run out of the kitchen, but he caught her and struck her across the face. Trying to avoid as many blows to her face as she could, knowing that they would raise more questions at school since she couldn't hide the injuries, she curled into the fetal position on the floor as he kicked and punched her. He finally stopped and stormed out of the house, and Sara had sat up, looking down the hallway at her brother, who was standing near the bathroom with a towel in his hand for a shower. Without saying a word, he shot her a glare and slammed the bathroom door behind him.

So now Sara was searching for something she could do, or something she could say, that would show him how sorry she was. She still didn't know why her mother was so angry, why he had been grounded in the first place, but she knew that whatever it was was her fault, and that he shouldn't have taken the blame for it. And she needed to tell him that, in some way...maybe not verbally, even...but she needed something.

Looking back down at her book, Sara started reading again. She wanted desperately to go back to the land of the poor tailor she was reading about. She wanted to put herself in another place at the moment, she wanted to forget about what she had just been thinking...at least for a few minutes, maybe.

Daniel wrapped his fingers tightly around the football as his teammate threw it to him. Looking around, he noted the people coming up around both his left and right sides to tackle him and get the ball, and he quickly backed up as they came closer. When they were centimeters away from him, he propelled himself backwards, watching as the two people trying to tackle him ended up colliding with eachother. Laughing, he ran around the sides of the small playing field they had established and threw the ball down when he had made it to the end. His friends were cheering and laughing as they continued to watch the two kids from before get up off of the ground, slightly disoriented as they rubbed their heads.

Daniel let out a chuckle, turning his head to look at the bench Sara was sitting on. His smile quickly faded when he caught sight of his little sister sitting at the bench, her nose deep in a book. That was just like her, he thought, wasting her recess time with a book. Why didn't she get friends, like a _normal_ kid? Why was she so different than he was?

"Hey Danny!" Bobby, Daniel's friend said as he ran over to him.

"What, man?" Daniel asked, turning to look at him.

"What's up?" he asked. "You keep staring at your sister."

"So?"

"Something wrong?"

"I don't know," Daniel shrugged. "Actually, I don't care."

Bobby laughed. "She's weird, huh?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "You have no idea."

Bobby laughed again. "Hang on a sec," he told him, jogging over to his other group of friends. They seemed to huddle together as they talked, and Daniel couldn't tell what it was that they were saying. Bobby turned around with a smile on his face and motioned for Daniel to follow them. "Come on, Danny!" Daniel just shrugged and followed them as they ran near the trees...right near where Sara was reading. Daniel didn't want to be that close to her...not at school. Home was understandable...but at school, he wanted to be as far away from her as possible.

"What are we doing?" Daniel asked.

"Shh..." Bobby shushed him. One of the guys in his group of friends started tossing the football up and down in his hands, looking over at Sara to make sure she was still deep in her book. Finally, he brought his arm back, his fingers wrapped tightly around the white stitching on the ball, and shot his arm forward, letting go of the ball. It seemed to happen in slow motion, as the ball left his hand and shot toward her. She looked up just in time for the ball to come in contact with her jaw at full speed, and she was shot backwards, her back hitting the tree behind the bench and her book falling to the ground.

"Ooooh!" Bobby said, covering his mouth with his hands as he fought back laughter. She was thrown back like a ragdoll, and afterwards, she looked around trying to find out where the ball came from. Finally, Bobby and the group of his friends could no longer hold back their laughter and burst into a large laughing fit.

Sara looked up after the ball hit her jaw, looking around, slightly disoriented. Looking around for her book, he picked it up and noted the torn page. Frowning, and then wincing from the pain in her jaw, she picked the book up and held it against her chest tightly. And then she heard the laughter, and she looked up to see her brother and a large group of kids laughing at her. There was no question as to where the ball came from.

"Man, your sister is such a freak!" Bobby said to Daniel, patting him on the back a few times.

Daniel considered this for a minute...sure, he thought that about his sister...but was he going to let someone else say that about her? Finally making his decision, Daniel nodded with a smile, and said, "Yeah, she is."

Sara could now feel the tears running down her cheeks. Her brother didn't care about her, it was true. She watched, hugging her book as tightly as she could against her chest, her body racking with tiny sobs as she cried. She couldn't help it...she really didn't want to cry in front of everyone, especially at school, but right now, she really, really couldn't help it. To learn that the only member of her family that she thought had cared about her even a little bit didn't, had torn her apart.

Daniel walked over to Sara, kneeling down in front of her. "Why are you crying, Sara?" he asked. "Bigh girls don't cry," he told her. Then, looking down at the book she held in her arms, he knocked it out of her hands and looked at it. "Hmm..." he said, looking it over. "I see...so a poor young tailor finds fortune and good will," he said, reading the summary on the back. Opening it up, he tore the pages of it out, watching as they fell to the dirt ground. Throwing the hard cover backing of it onto the ground, now empty, he kicked it across the field and then looked down at her. She had started rocking herself back and forth, bringing her knees up to her chest. "You really are a freak, Sara, you know that? I'm embarassed to be seen around you. Do me a favor- find some friends, and stop burying yourself in that trash," he said, stomping on the backing of the book once as he walked off.

Sara still rocked herself back and forth as she cried. "He doesn't love you," she whispered to herself. "He doesn't love you, he hates you, he's ashamed of you," she whispered. "No one cares about you," she whispered.

"Damn," Bobby said, running up to Daniel's side. "You really..."

"Knocked some sense into her," Daniel finished. "Finally someone did."

Sara picked the pages of her book up, holding them to her chest tightly, as well as the empty hard backing of the book, now with a shoe print on the back of it. Getting to her feet and wiping the tears away from her face, she whispered, "Big girls don't cry." Maybe what her brother said had some truth to it...maybe she was just a too sensitive brat too stubborn to know her place in the world. "Big girls don't cry," she repeated, as she made her way across the school field to the classrooms. "Big girls don't cry," she whispered again, as the bell rang telling her it was time to go back to class. Still holding the remnants of the book in her arms, she wiped more drying streaks of tears away from her face...

...because big girls didn't cry.


	5. I'm Sorry

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed, you guys are really awesome! This is going to be the last chapter, and it's skipping ahead three years once again :)**

_**Three years later...**_

He was leaving.

Sara thought she would be thrilled that her brother was leaving today.

But for some reason she felt...

...sad.

Why? Why would she feel that way? Her brother had made his little sister's life a living hell- not that it wasn't already one already. And now her brother was leaving, she figured she would be jumping up and down, screaming for joy when this day came. But she wasn't.

Instead, she found herself standing outside her brother's bedroom door, fingers curled into a fist and hand held in mid-air as she contemplated knocking or not. What was she doing, anyways? What was she going to say, and what was she expecting him to say to her? He was thrilled that he was finally leaving, right on his birthday this was his wish as an adult- to get away from his family and leave this life behind him as he started anew.

Sara just sighed, looking down at the floor, her eyes latching onto her red sneakers.

She wanted to apologize.

That was what she was here for.

Looking up at the door, a new bold determination in her eyes, she knocked on the door with her new-found confidence and immediately backed away when the door opened. Her brother opened the door and stared at her, a blank expression on his face. Sara was a bit surprised he didn't look absolutely furious that she had knocked on his door.

"...What do you want?" he asked. Yeah, he still had that same hostility.

"...Can I come in?" Sara asked. She was 12 now, a pre-teen, and she felt a bit more confident about trying to penetrate the boundaries her brother had set up when she was younger.

Reluctantly, her brother moved away from the door and let her inside. She walked in and he shut the door, just barely missing her fingers as he slammed it and moved back to his bed. The comforter was now missing, as were the pillows and pillow cases. His desk was cleaned off and his posters and pictures on his walls were all packed up. His room looked...empty. And Sara couldn't help but feel saddened by the sight of her brother's empty room.

"So what did you want?" Daniel asked, going through some piles of papers on his bed that were in a folder.

"...I...uh..." Why was she there again? Sara couldn't remember.

"Spit it out, my plane's leaving in less than an hour."

Apology. Right.

"...Danny.." Sara said, walking over to him. "...What's happened to us?"

That seemed to get his attention and he stopped what he was doing, looking over at her. "...What do you mean?"

"...What's happened to us over the years? We used to be...so close, y'know? Now...I have to recoil in fear of being hit whenever I talk to you, I...have to look over my shoulder on my walks to school because I know one of your friends is following close behind with a football aimed at my head. I...have to have this conversation with you!" she explained. "Things aren't like they used to be. I understand that...we're different now. We've both grown into different people, but...where's my big brother from before?"

Daniel just stared at her, at a loss for words.

"...Remember the good times we used to have together? Eating those cookies before dinner, or...getting up late at night and watching cartoons? You used to read to me, or...told me a funny story if I had a nightmare. You were my guardian, Danny. You're my big brother, and...despite all that's happened...I...want you to know that...you're always going to be my big brother. Even if you don't think the same thing about me."

Daniel looked away, spotting a spider web in the corner of the room to stare at. He honestly didn't know what to say. Time had gone by so fast, now he didn't really even see the point of him being so terrible to his little sister. In truth, it wasn't her fault that he had been grounded all those years ago for the marijuana under his bed, it was his fault and he knew that. She was just a little girl, she didn't know what it was...

Looking over into Daniel's box holding his things on his bed, she walked over to it and peeked inside. Smiling, she removed a photograph in a frame, blowing dust off of it and squinting to look at it. With a laugh, she handed it to her brother. "Do you remember this day?" she asked.

Daniel took the picture from her, studying it for a long moment. Yes, he did remember that day. The picture was of a family reunion from over 8 years ago. Sara was sitting at the table where the desserts were. She was covered head-to-toe in chocolate pudding with a big smile on her face. Daniel was sitting next to her and she was throwing pudding at him, which he remembered nailed him right in the face.

Daniel laughed a little bit, staring at the picture. He could actually feel himself tearing up.

Sara noticed this and smiled, face brightening. "That's my big brother."

Daniel looked up at her and quickly set the picture back into the box, closing it and sealing it. Getting his wallet, he put it in the back-pocket of his black jeans and lifted the box up, leaning it against his side and holding onto it with his right arm. He was so tempted to take his little sister into a gentle embrace with his free hand, but instead he looked up at the clock in the hallway. "My plane's leaving in fourty-five minutes, I don't want to be late."

Sara nodded slowly, swallowing hard and fighting back tears. "...Have a good life, Danny."

Daniel nodded slowly, walking out of his room. Sara ran to his window and watched as he loaded his things into a taxi cab that was waiting outside for him before he crawled into the passenger's seat. Poking her head through the venetian blinds on his bedroom window, she watched as the taxi driver started the car up. But she caught a glance at her from her big brother.

And his eyes were tear-stained.

Daniel choked back a sob as he looked at Sara through the taxi cab window.

"Where to, Sir?" the driver asked.

Daniel blinked away his tears, looking over at the drvier. "Airport." The driver nodded and they drove off. "...I'm sorry, Sis," he whispered, a lone tear falling down his face.

As soon as Daniel made it on the plane, he grabbed a notepad and paper and started writing.

_Hey Sis,_

_So...I've been an ass through the years, that's for sure. Well...thanks for wishing my luck in my new life. I'm wishing you luck, too. I know you're going to do great, and by the way- you're not a nerd, you're a little genius, you brainiac. Maybe I'll call you some day and ask you for help in my college exams?_

_I'm so sorry I've been so terrible throughout the years. My friends brought me into a lot of crap...and...I know it's my fault for listening to them. Don't make the same mistakes I did, alright? And one other thing-- keep Mom and Dad out of trouble for me, will ya?_

_Much Love,_

_Danny_

The End


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